Andrew Freedman Home in the Bronx

Early 1920's Old Folks Home in Continuing State of Transition

January 22, 2018 / Bronx Neighborhoods / Bronx Real Estate & Business / Bronx History & Bronx Historic Houses / Bronx Buzz NYC.

Last summer I made my way north along the Grand Concourse, past the Bronx Museum to take a look at the legendary Andrew Freeman Home. The home was built about four stories high and of limestone following Freedman's death in 1915. Construction began in 1922 and it opened in 1924. In 1992 it became a designated New York City landmark. In the photo at right you can see the Andrew Freedman Home standing three stories high, as the fourth story is at the ground level in the back of the building.

Andrew Freedman was the New York Giants Baseball Team Owner

The man who founded the home, was the legendary Andrew Freedman, who was born in 1860 and went on to become the owner of the National League New York Giants baseball team from 1895 to 1907. The New York Giants baseball team is said to have tried to deprive the New York Highlanders, which are the present day New York Yankees, of getting a start in baseball, by preventing them from playing at the Manhattan Polo Grounds, which were located at the northeast end of Central Park in Harlem.

The New York Giants were founded in 1883 and moved out to San Francisco after the 1957 season ended, in the same year that the Brooklyn Dodgers moved out to Los Angeles - thus bringing the teams' ongoing rivalry with them to the west coast- while leaving New York City with only one baseball team - the New York Yankees.

The Brooklyn Dodgers were said to have departed the city because they were having trouble with NYC's Master Builder Robert Moses, regarding the use of a proper baseball stadium that would be capable of accommodating the large crowds attracted to the Brooklyn Dodgers games. Andrew Freedman also purchased controlling ownership in the Baltimore Orioles of the American League for a short period of time.

• CLICK here to read the rest of our story about the Andrew Freedman Home - historic homes in the Bronx.